Beneath It All
by CarbonMonoxide
Summary: Her eyes widened. 'You.' She exclaimed, recognizing the man from the forest. 'Don't be so quick to point now, you've got some explaining to do yourself, princess.' Jerred stated pointedly, an eyebrow raised.


_Beneath It All_

By CarbonMonoxide

**Full Summary:** A victim of Malicia's rage, for five years, she lived her life as a commoner. Forced into hiding, away from the danger, away from her downfall, under the watchful eyes of her aunts. But now, it was time she reentered her world, her real world, of castles and courtyards and royalty… Just in time for Prince Jerred of Kyrria's yearlong trip to Ayortha.

Disclaimer: I wish.

Alrightyyy then. So I know I have two hp stories out that I have not updated in a million years, but ahh, I'm working on them. The Ella Enchanted section never seems to see much action though, so I thought I'd do what I do best and spice it up a little! I mean really, there are some really good ones out there, but they never seem to get updated! This story was totally something I thought of randomly yesterday, and I started typing away like the freaky kid that I am. We've all seen some of the other princess-like twists on the EE fanfics here, but this is one that I haven't seen.

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* * *

She seethed in rage, as she shrewdly watched the sight before her. All across the land, people had come to congratulate the royal couple on the birth of their first and only daughter. Everywhere she looked, there was merriment and rejoicing, laughter and joy. 

Malicia balled her fists in anger, a deep glare falling upon her dark features, as she glanced away from the mirror. It seemed that every fairy in the land had been invited to the occasion. Every fairy, every noblemen, even peasants were gathered at the celebration. Everyone was there at the birth of little baby Annaliese. Everyone except, of course, her.

They always forgot her.

She had made a number of mistakes in the past, in her younger years, when she had been wild and untamable, and had ended up paying dearly for it. Now her magic was near gone.

Her glassy, purple eyes flashed in anger. But that gave them no right to forget her. She was still Malicia the fairy, and she still had _some_ powers. In fact, that was exactly what she was going to show these stupid people. She was sick of living in quiet, isolation, away from everything, in her forlorn tower. She was sick of being neglected and forgotten. There had been a time when all a suffering soul had to do was cry out, "Malicia, come to my aid!" And they would instantly be given another chance.

But now she was going to show them. She was going to show these ignorant fools that she was still powerful, still magical, and still very much capable. All they needed, was a little reminding.

The fairy grinned wickedly.

* * *

She appeared silently at the celebration, not even bothering to disguise herself. Why would she want to? This time, Malicia wanted _everyone_ to know her identity. 

Slowly, she approached the front of the ballroom, where the infant was perched in a small bed, between the proud king and queen. Even their young son, Prince Arien, stood proudly beside his little sister.

"Oh my, what a beautiful child!" Someone cooed, delighted by the new baby.

Malicia soured, her heart filling with fury. Beautiful though it may be, the damned child would grow up, remembering what her parents had forgotten. She would see to it.

"Step aside!" The fairy screeched harshly, roughly pushing away those in front of her. "Let me see the child!"

Instantly, some of the crowd fell silent, frightened at this newcomer.

"Excuse me, milady, but may I inquire your name?" The knight blocked her path, staring down at her guardedly.

Malicia's eyes narrowed. How dare this pathetic man attempt to stop her from seeing that wretched child… "You want my name, do you?" She snarled venomously. "Malicia," she started. "Malicia the _fairy_." And with an astounding amount of strength, the fairy pushed past the knight, determinedly making her way towards the newborn.

Quickly, the dangerous fairy made her way towards the royal couple, who were still unaware of her presence. She shoved away those crowded around the infant, finally setting her gaze upon the tiny baby.

A hushed silence settled upon everyone, as Malicia regarded the new princess with a cruel sneer upon her face. _At last… at last._

Slowly, she placed her finger on the child's cheek. The wicked fairy turned to the crowd, who watched her fearfully. "I am Malicia the fairy." She started loudly, her sharp voice slicing through the thick air.

Upon this revelation, the fear in the King's eyes grew. A terrible sense of foreboding filled him, yet he dreaded to say anything, lest the fairy punish his daughter.

The ominous fairy grinned darkly down at the new baby, who had been stunned into silence. "And upon this child, I bestow a curse." Her voice began dangerously, her finger grazing the baby's cheek. "The princess shall indeed grow in grace and beauty, beloved by all who know her. But, before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday, she shall prick her finger upon a sword… and die."

Deadly silence filled the air, as the true meaning of the fairy's words sunk in.

"YOU WRETCHED SOUL!" The Queen screamed suddenly, snatching her baby away from the clutches of Malicia.

"Malicia!" The King boomed, standing up to his feet in rage. "You are banished from the land!"

But it was no use. The wicked fairy had already vanished.

* * *

- 

Every sword in the land of Ayortha was ordered to be kept locked and hidden away.

The royal couple begged Malicia to return, to take back the curse, but the fairy would not appear. For years before now, King Stefan and his queen had yearned for another child, and finally their wish had been granted. But now, a heartless fairy had cursed their new child. It seemed that their daughter's fate had been sealed.

However, all hope was not lost. There had been three other fairies present at baby Annaliese's celebration that day, and they sympathized with the royal family. King Stefan and Queen Aislynn were good people, and even the fairies knew they did not deserve such a cruel punishment. There was no way to reverse Malicia's merciless curse, a fairy's word was final. Nevertheless, the curse could be altered, weakened, if another fairy issued a gift to counter Malicia's curse.

And so the three fairies granted baby Annaliese each of their own blessings to protect her from Malicia's ruthlessness.

The first fairy, Flora, blessed the child with a safe and merry childhood. Thus, baby Annaliese would be safe from Malicia's curse until the age of ten.

The second fairy, Fauna, blessed the infant with good health.

And the third fairy, Marybelle, granted the baby princess with perhaps the most valuable blessing of all. "In the face of Malicia's curse, let this child's death be softened into a deep slumber, and only the loving touch of a prince shall awaken her from her sleep." The fairy stated softly, her hand on the child's head.

King Stefan and his queen were grateful for the kindness of the fairies, but they were still scared for their daughter. And so it was decided that after the age of ten, when Flora's blessing would fade, Marybelle would take the princess out of the kingdom to a small, neighboring city, and raise her for five years under her care, until Annaliese's sixteenth birthday when Malicia's curse would finally finish.

King Stefan and Queen Aislynn were heartbroken for having to part with their daughter for so long, but they agreed that it was best for her safety.

Before dawn on her eleventh birthday, Princess Annaliese of Ayortha was declared missing.

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Ahhhh. Well, there it was. Hopefully, it wasn't too bad. This is really random and spontaneous. I thought of the idea last night, started writing it this morning, and now I'm posting it. I'll probably go back and revise it later, but ehh. I don't want to give the next chapter away, but this story kinda begins when sleeping beauty ends. Yay.

Review review review! Pleeease.


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